Nigeria, May 13 -- With just days to go before over 10,000 athletes from across Nigeria descend on Ogun State for the 22nd National Sports Festival-officially titled Gateway Games 2024-a wave of anticipation and preparation is sweeping through major towns.

From bustling Abeokuta to the quieter communities of Ipokia and Ogbere, the upcoming festival is generating widespread enthusiasm, accompanied by cautious curiosity about how events will unfold.

PREMIUM TIMES took to the roads to gauge local sentiments on Ogun's preparedness to host one of Nigeria's largest sporting events.

A tour around the state shows a landscape undergoing transformation-both physically and emotionally-into a promising host for Nigeria's biggest sporting event.

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